This invention relates to an apparatus for the production of rolled food products comprising a filler substance and a wrap folded onto and rolled around said filler substance the apparatus of the invention performs the steps of depositing a flat wrap on a support, placing a filler substance atop the flat wrap, folding the front portion of said wrap onto said filler substance, folding the opposite side portions of said wrap onto the partially enclosed filler substance, and finally rolling the folded wrap with its filler towards the rear edge of said wrap to form a roll.
An apparatus of this type is used for the production of e.g., raw Chinese spring rolls. In Chinese spring rolls, the filler substance may consist of sliced cabbage, minced meat and spices, and the wrap may consist of a substantially rectangular pancake made from flour and water.
Such spring rolls are primarily produced by effecting the folding and the rolling operations manually on a table.
An apparatus for mechanically folding and rolling the wrap around the filler substance has been developed, and such apparatus is constructed in a manner so that the front portion of the wrap and the opposite side portions thereof are caught by mechanical devices and successively folded onto the filler substance. Subsequently, the filler substance and the folded portions of the wrap are mechanically rolled towards the rear edge of the wrap.
The prior art apparatus is rather complicated, and furthermore, the production rate has not been significantly increased compared to that of the manual production of Chinese spring rolls.
The object of the invention is to obtain an increased production rate in the production of Chinese spring rolls and similar food products.
A further object of the invention is to eliminate mechanical devices for the folding of the front and side portions of the wrap onto the filler substance.